System and methods for anonymous crowdsourcing of network condition measurements

ABSTRACT

A communication device and method for crowdsourcing of information from one or more communication devices. The crowdsourced information can be defined by one or more parameters defined in an operational framework. The operational framework can be, for example, an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) framework. The operational framework can include, for example, positional and/or movement information of the communication device(s), a signal quality of a communication network, a visibility duration of a communication network, data rate information of a communication network, and/or quality of service (QoS) information of a communication network.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/758,047, filed Jan. 29, 2013, entitled “AnonymousCrowdsourcing Of Network Condition Measurements For ANDSF,” which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

This application relates generally to wireless communications, includingthe crowdsourcing of network information and/or contextual informationby one or more mobile devices within a communication environment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a partof the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the presentdisclosure and, together with the description, further serve to explainthe principles of the embodiments and to enable a person skilled in thepertinent art to make and use the embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network environment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a base station according to an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an access point according to an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a mobile device according to an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an operational framework according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an crowdsourcing method according toan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an crowdsourcing method according toan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure

The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. The drawing in which an elementfirst appears is typically indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in thecorresponding reference number.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of thepresent disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that the embodiments, including structures, systems, and methods,may be practiced without these specific details. The description andrepresentation herein are the common means used by those experienced orskilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of theirwork to others skilled in the art. In other instances, well-knownmethods, procedures, components, and circuitry have not been describedin detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the disclosure.

In the following disclosure, terms defined by the Long-Term Evolution(LTE) standard are sometimes used. For example, the term “eNodeB” or“eNB” is used to refer to what is commonly described as a base station(BS) or a base transceiver station (BTS) in other standards. The term“User Equipment (UE)” is used to refer to what is commonly described asa mobile station (MS) or mobile terminal in other standards. The LTEstandard is developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)and described in the 3GPP specification and International MobileTelecomunnications-2000 (IMT-2000) standard, all of which areincorporated by reference in their entirety. Further, although exemplaryembodiments are described with reference to LTE, the more generic terms“mobile device” and “base station” are used herein except whereotherwise noted to refer to the LTE terms “User Equipment (UE)” and“eNodeB/eNB,” respectively.

As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s)based on the teachings herein, exemplary embodiments are not limited tothe LTE standard, and can be applied to other cellular communicationstandards, including (but not limited to) Evolved High-Speed PacketAccess (HSPA+), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA),CDMA2000, Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access(TD-SCDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GeneralPacket Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution(EDGE), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)(IEEE 802.16) to provide some examples. Further, exemplary embodimentsare not limited to cellular communication networks and can be used orimplemented in other kinds of wireless communication access networks,including (but not limited to) WLAN (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth, Near-fieldCommunication (NFC) (ISO/IEC 18092), ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4), and/orRadio-frequency identification (RFID), to provide some examples. Thesevarious standards and/or protocols are each incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication environment 100 thatincludes a base station 120, a mobile device 140, and an access point(AP) 150. The base station 120, mobile device 140, and AP 150 eachinclude suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that is configured tocommunicate via one or more wireless technologies, and the mobile device140 is further configured to support co-existing wirelesscommunications. The mobile device 140 can include, for example, atransceiver having suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that isconfigured to transmit and/or receive wireless communications via one ormore wireless technologies within the communication environment 100. Thebase station 120 and AP 150 each include suitable logic, circuitry,and/or code that is configured to: (1) receive one or more wiredcommunications via one or more well-known wired technologies (e.g.,within a core (backhaul) network) and transmit one or more correspondingwireless communications via one or more wireless technologies within thecommunication environment 100, (2) receive one or more wirelesscommunications within the communication environment 100 via one or morewireless technologies and transmit one or more corresponding wiredcommunications via one or more well-known wired technologies within acore network, and (3) to transmit and/or receive wireless communicationsvia one or more wireless technologies within the communicationenvironment 100. The wireless technologies can include one or morewireless protocols discussed above.

The mobile device 140 can be configured to communicate with the basestation 120 in a serving cell or sector 110 of the communicationenvironment 100, and/or to communicate with the access point (AP) 150 ina wireless local area network (WLAN) 112. For example, the mobile device140 receives signals on one or more downlink (DL) channels and transmitssignals to the base station 120 and/or the AP 150 on one or morerespective uplink (UL) channels.

In an exemplary embodiment, the base station 120 includes suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that is configured for communicationsconforming to 3GPP's Long-Term Evolution (LTE) specification (e.g., thebase station is an LTE base station), the AP 150 includes suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that is configured for communicationsconforming to IEEE's 802.11 WLAN specification (e.g., the AP 150 is aWLAN access point), and the mobile device 140 includes suitable logic,circuitry, and/or code that is configured for communications conformingto 3GPP's LTE specification and IEEE's 802.11 WLAN specification. Thatis, the mobile device 140 is configured to wirelessly communicate withthe base station 120 utilizing 3GPP's LTE specification and with the AP150 utilizing IEEE's 802.11 WLAN specification. Here, the serving cellor sector 110 is an LTE serving cell or sector and the WLAN 112 is aWLAN utilizing the 802.11 WLAN specification.

Examples of the mobile device 140 include (but are not limited to) amobile computing device—such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, amobile telephone or smartphone, a “phablet,” a personal digitalassistant (PDA), mobile media player, and the like; and a wearablecomputing device—such as a computerized wrist watch or “smart” watch,computerized eyeglasses, and the like. In some embodiments, the mobiledevice 140 may be a stationary device, including, for example, astationary computing device—such as a personal computer (PC), a desktopcomputer, a computerized kiosk, an automotive/aeronautical/maritimein-dash computer terminal, and the like.

FIG. 2 illustrates the base station 120 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the base station 120can include a transceiver 200 communicatively coupled to a controller240.

The transceiver 200 includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code thatis configured to transmit and/or receive wireless communications via oneor more wireless technologies within the communication environment 100.In particular, the transceiver 200 can include a transmitter 210 and areceiver 220 that have suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code configuredto transmit and receive wireless communications, respectively, via oneor more antennas 230. Those skilled in the relevant art(s) willrecognize that the processes for transmitting and/or receiving wirelesscommunications can include (but are not limited to) digital signalprocessing, modulation and/or demodulation of data, digital-to-analog(DAC) and/or analog-to-digital (ADC) conversion, and/or frequencyconversion to provide some examples. Further, those skilled in therelevant art(s) will recognize that the antenna 230 may include aninteger array of antennas, and that the antenna 230 may be capable ofboth transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals. Forexample, the base station 120 can be configured for wirelesscommunication utilizing a Multiple-input Multiple-output (MIMO)configuration.

In an exemplary embodiment, the transceiver 200 is configured forwireless communications conforming to one or more wireless protocolsdefined by 3GPP. For example, the transceiver 200 is configured forwireless communications conforming to 3GPP's LTE specification. In thisexample, the transceiver 200 can be referred to as LTE transceiver 200.It should be appreciated that the transceiver 200 can be referred to byanother 3GPP protocol in embodiments where the transceiver 200 isconfigured for such other communications conforming to the 3GPPprotocol.

The controller 240 includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code thatis configured to control the overall operation of the base station 120,including the operation of the transceiver 200. The controller 240 caninclude one or more processors (CPUs) 250 configured to carry outinstructions to perform arithmetical, logical, and/or input/output (I/O)operations of the base station 120 and/or one or more components of thebase station 120. The controller 240 can further include a memory 260that includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that is configuredto store data and/or instructions. The memory 260 can be any well-knownvolatile and/or non-volatile memory, including, for example, read-onlymemory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, a magneticstorage media, an optical disc, erasable programmable read only memory(EPROM), programmable read only memory (PROM) and the like. The memory260 can be non-removable, removable, or a combination of both.

FIG. 3 illustrates the access point (AP) 150 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the AP 150 caninclude a transceiver 300 communicatively coupled to a controller 340.

The transceiver 300 is similar to the transceiver 200 and includessuitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that is configured to transmitand/or receive wireless communications via one or more wirelesstechnologies within the communication environment 100. In particular,the transceiver 300 can similarly include a transmitter 310 and areceiver 320 that have suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code configuredto transmit and receive wireless communications, respectively, via oneor more antennas 330. Those skilled in the relevant art(s) willrecognize that the antenna 330 may include an integer array of antennas,and that the antenna 330 may be capable of both transmitting andreceiving wireless communication signals. For example, the AP 150 can beconfigured for wireless communication utilizing a Multiple-inputMultiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

In an exemplary embodiment, the transceiver 300 is configured forwireless communications conforming to one or more non-3GPP protocols.For example, the transceiver 300 is configured for wirelesscommunications conforming to IEEE's 802.11 WLAN specification. Here, thetransceiver 300 can be referred to as WLAN transceiver 300.

The controller 340 is similar to the controller 240 and includessuitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that is configured to control theoverall operation of the AP 150, including the operation of thetransceiver 300. The controller 340 can include one or more processors(CPUs) 350 configured to carry out instructions to perform arithmetical,logical, and/or input/output (I/O) operations of the AP 150 and/or oneor more components of the AP 150. The controller 340 can further includea memory 360 that includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code thatis configured to store data and/or instructions. The memory 360 can beany well-known volatile and/or non-volatile memory similar to the memory260 described above. Similarly, the memory 360 can be non-removable,removable, or a combination of both.

FIG. 4 illustrates the mobile device 140 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. The mobile device 140 can includea controller 440 communicatively coupled to an LTE transceiver 400 and aWLAN transceiver 430. The mobile device 140 can be configured forwireless communications conforming to one or more wireless protocolsdefined by 3GPP and/or one or more non-3GPP wireless protocols. In anexemplary embodiment, the mobile device 140 is configured for wirelesscommunication conforming to 3GPP's LTE specification and for wirelesscommunication conforming to IEEE's 802.11 WLAN specification. Thoseskilled in the relevant art(s) will understand that the mobile device140 is not limited to these exemplary 3GPP and non-3GPP wirelessprotocols, and the mobile device 140 can be configured for wirelesscommunications conforming to one or more other 3GPP and/or non-3GPPwireless protocols in addition to, or in the alternative to, thewireless protocols discussed herein.

The LTE transceiver 400 includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or codethat is configured for transmitting and/or receiving wirelesscommunications conforming to 3GPP's LTE specification. In particular,the LTE transceiver 400 can include an LTE transmitter 410 and an LTEreceiver 420 that have suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code configuredfor transmitting and receiving wireless communications conforming to3GPP's LTE specification, respectively, via one or more antennas 435.Transceiver 400 need not be limited to LTE, and could operate accordingto another cellular standard, as will be understood by those skilled inart.

The WLAN transceiver 430 includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or codethat is configured for transmitting and/or receiving wirelesscommunications conforming to IEEE's 802.11 WLAN specification. Inparticular, the WLAN transceiver 430 can include a WLAN transmitter 415and a WLAN receiver 425 that have suitable logic, circuitry, and/or codeconfigured for transmitting and receiving wireless communicationsconforming to IEEE's 802.11 WLAN specification, respectively, via one ormore antennas 445.

Regarding the LTE transceiver 400 and the WLAN transceiver 430, theprocesses for transmitting and/or receiving wireless communications caninclude (but are not limited to) digital signal processing, modulationand/or demodulation of data, DAC and/or ADC conversion, and/or frequencyconversion to provide some examples. Further, those skilled in therelevant art(s) will recognize that antennas 435 and/or 445 may includean integer array of antennas, and that the antennas may be capable ofboth transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals.

The controller 440 includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code thatis configured to control the overall operation of the mobile device 140,including the operation of the LTE transceiver 400 and WLAN transceiver430. The controller 440 can include one or more processors (CPUs) 450configured to carry out instructions to perform arithmetical, logical,and/or input/output (I/O) operations of the mobile device 140 and/or oneor more components of the mobile device 140. The controller 440 canfurther include a memory 460 that is similar to memories 260 and 360,and includes suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that is configuredto store data and/or instructions. Similarly, the memory 460 can be anywell-known volatile and/or non-volatile memory, and can benon-removable, removable, or a combination of both.

In exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and as discussed inmore detail below, the mobile device 140 can be configured to gathernetwork information of one or more available communication networkswithin the communication environment 100 and/or contextual information(e.g., time, location, movement, etc.) associated with the mobile device140.

The gathering of network information can include (but is not limitedto), for example, measuring and/or analyzing network conditions, and/oridentifying one or more base stations and/or access points that arevisible to the mobile device. The network conditions can, for example,include signal strength (e.g., received signal strength indication(RSSI)) of signals associated with the network(s)), one or more noiseand/or interference measurements indicative of the noise and/orinterference associated with the network(s) (e.g.,signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINK)), network visibilityinformation, supported and/or current data rates of the network(s),quality of service (QoS) information of the network(s), network typeand/or venue information of the network(s), and/or one or more othernetwork parameters that are indicative of the condition (e.g., health)of the available communication network(s).

The gathering of contextual information can include (but is not limitedto), for example, determining the time as reported by the operatingsystem of the mobile device 140, the location of the mobile device 140,the movement of the mobile device 140, model and/or type of the mobiledevice 140, information regarding the capabilities of the mobile device140, information regarding one or more components implemented in themobile device 140, power management information (e.g., remaining batterypower, charging status, etc.) of the mobile device 140, and/or any otherenvironmental information associated with the mobile device 140 as willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s) withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thelocation and/or movement of the mobile device 140 can be determinedusing one or more positional and/or movement sensors 470 (e.g., GPS,accelerometer, gyroscope sensor, etc.) implemented in (and/or incommunication with) the mobile device 140, and/or using one or morepositional determinations using signal characteristics relative to oneor more base stations and/or access points.

Here, the available communication networks refer to communicationnetworks within the communication environment 100 that are currentlyvisible to the mobile device 140. Further, the mobile device 140 can beconfigured to provide the gathered information to one or more serviceproviders via one or more of the 3GPP and/or non-3GPP communicationnetworks. For the purposes of this disclosure, the gathering andproviding of information to the service provider(s) can be referred toas a “crowdsourcing” process.

In an exemplary embodiment, the gathering and providing (e.g.,crowdsourcing) of information is performed automatically in thebackground of the operating system of the mobile device 140 and does notrequire interaction from a user of the mobile device 140. Further, themobile device 140 can be configured to performing one or morecrowdsourcing processes in response to instructions and/or requestsreceived by the mobile device 140 from one or more service providersand/or from the user of the mobile device 140. That is, the one or moreservice providers can instruction the mobile device 140 to gatherinformation and then provide the gathered information to the serviceprovider via one or more 3GPP and/or non-3GPP communication networks.Further, the gathered information can be stored and/or maintained in apolicy server that is communicatively coupled to the mobile device 140via one or more of the communication networks.

In an exemplary embodiment, the controller 440 can be configured togather the network information of the one or more availablecommunication networks within the communication environment 100 and/orthe contextual information (e.g., time, location, movement, etc.)associated with the mobile device 140, as well as to provide thegathered information to the service provider(s). The gatheredinformation can also be stored in the memory 460, and accessed andprocessed by the CPU 450.

In an exemplary embodiment, the mobile device 140 includes one or moreother transceivers configured to communicate via one or more well-knowncommunication technologies (e.g., CDMA, GSM, or the like). The one ormore other transceivers can also be configured for navigational purposesutilizing one or more well-known navigational systems, including theGlobal Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), the Russian Global NavigationSatellite System (GLONASS), the European Union Galileo positioningsystem (GALILEO), the Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), theChinese BeiDou navigation system, and/or the Indian RegionalNavigational Satellite System (IRNSS) to provide some examples.

In an exemplary embodiment, one or more service providers are configuredto provide the mobile device 140 with one or more operationalparameters, policies, and/or conditions that are utilized by the mobiledevice 140 in configuring the operation of the mobile device 140. Theoperational parameters, policies, and/or conditions can be collectivelyreferred to as an operational framework. Here, the operational frameworkis used by the service provider(s) to control the operation of themobile device 140. The operational framework can define, for example,one or more communication networks that can be used by the mobile device140, one or more policies for inter-system offloading between one ormore 3GPP and/or non-3GPP communication networks, and/or the network,contextual, and/or environmental information that is to be determined(e.g., gathered) and/or reported to the service provider by the mobiledevice 140. Further, the inter-system offloading policies can be used tocontrol the offloading of communications by the mobile device 140,including, for example, the offloading of communications from the basestation 120 to the AP 150, from the AP 150 to the base station 120, or acombination of both. For example, the mobile device 140 can beconfigured to offload communications with the base station 120 to the AP150 based on one or more inter-system offloading policies defined in theoperational framework that is provided to the mobile device 140 by theone or more service providers.

In an exemplary embodiment, the operational framework can be maintainedin a server that is communicatively coupled to the mobile device 140 viaone or more communication networks associated with the one or moreservice providers.

In an exemplary embodiment, the operational framework conforms to, or isassociated with, the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function(ANDSF) framework as defined in the 3GPP TS 24.312 specification, whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The ANDSF frameworkis an entity introduced by 3GPP as part of the Release 8 set ofspecifications, within an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) of the SystemArchitecture Evolution (SAE) for 3GPP compliant communication networks.The ANDSF framework assists the mobile device 140 to discover one ormore non-3GPP communication networks (e.g., WLAN, WIMAX, etc.) that canbe used for data communications in addition to one or more 3GPPcommunication networks (e.g., LTE, HSPA, etc.) and to provide the mobiledevice 140 with rules (e.g., policy conditions) that control theconnection to the 3GPP and/or non-3GPP communication networks.

The ANDSF framework is defined by one or more ANDSF Management Objects(MO) that are generated by the service providers of the one or more 3GPPcommunication networks and provided to the mobile device 140. The ANDSFMOs of the framework can provide the mobile device 140 with thefollowing information, based on the service provider's configuration:

-   1. Inter-System Mobility Policy (ISMP)—network selections rules for    a mobile device with no more than one active communication network    connection (e.g., either LTE or WLAN).-   2. Inter-System Routing Policy (ISRP)—network selection rules for    the mobile device with potentially more than one active    communication network connection (e.g., both LTE and WLAN). Here,    the mobile device may employ IP Flow Mobility (IFOM), Multiple    Access Packet Data Networks (PDN) Connectivity (MAPCON) or    non-seamless WLAN offloading according to operator policy and user    preferences.-   3. Discovery Information—a list of networks that may be available in    the vicinity of the mobile device and information assisting the    mobile device to expedite the connection to these networks.-   4. Crowdsourcing Information—the network, contextual, environmental    information, and/or other types of information that is to be    crowdsourced by the mobile device.

Here, the ANDSF framework assists the mobile device 140 to discovercommunication networks in the vicinity of the mobile device 140 andprioritize/manage connections to the communication networks, as well asprovide crowdsourcing parameters. The policies set forth in the ANDSFframework can be statically pre-configured on the mobile device ordynamically updated by the service provider and provided to the mobiledevice 140 via the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM)protocol specified by the OMA DM Working Group and the DataSynchronization (DS) Working Group. The OMA DM protocol is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

The ANDSF framework can be referred to as an ANDSF Management Object(MO) that include various rules, conditions, parameters, and otherinformation organized into one or more “nodes” that may have one or more“leaf objects” descending therefrom. The nodes and leaf objects definethe various rules, condition, parameters, etc. that are used by themobile device 140 in governing the ISMP, ISRP, Discovery, andcrowdsourcing processing by the mobile device 140. For example, theANDSF MO is used by the mobile device 140 to establish communicationsvia one or more non-3GPP communication networks (e.g., WLANcommunication network on AP 150) and effectuate offloading of the mobiledevice's 140 communications via the base station 120 to, for example,the AP 150. Similarly, the ANDSF MO is used by the service provider toinstruct the mobile device 140 what information of the communicationnetworks to crowdsource and provide to the service provider.

The ANDSF MOs can be maintained by an ANDSF server that iscommunicatively coupled to the mobile device 140 via one or morecommunication networks associated with the one or more service providers(e.g., via the base station 120). The various rules and informationwithin the ANDSF MO can be either statically pre-configured on themobile device 140 or dynamically updated by the service provider andprovided to the mobile device 140. The ANDSF MO can be stored in thememory 460 of the mobile device 140, and accessed and executed by theCPU 450 to effectuate the ISMP, ISRP, Discovery, crowdsourcing, and/oroffloading processing.

In operation, with reference to FIG. 5, when a condition within theANDSF MO becomes “active” (e.g., the mobile device 140 moves withinrange of a communication network serving cell (e.g., geographic area)that is specified in a node/leaf of the of the ANDSF MO), the mobiledevice 140 notifies the event to the ANDSF server and requests theInter-system Discovery Information based on the preferred accesstechnology recommended in the MO. The ANDSF server will provide themobile device 140 with the communication network's identificationinformation (e.g., WLAN Hotspot SSIDs) in the vicinity and relatedaccess information (e.g., WLAN security keys). The mobile device 140uses this information to connect to the other communication network.Further, the mobile device 140 can offload communications originallydestined for the original serving communication network (e.g., LTE) tothe other communication network (e.g., WLAN) based on rules set forth inthe ANDSF MO. The mobile device 140 can also be configured to gatherinformation associated with the other communication network as definedin the ANDSF MO, as well as determine contextual information of themobile device 140 as defined in the ANDSF MO. The gathered networkinformation and/or the contextual information can be provided to theservice provider associated with the ANDSF MO (e.g., the LTE serviceprovider), which can then be used by the service provider to determinethe quality and/or coverage of the communication network so as togenerate network coverage maps.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example ANDSF Management Object (MO) 500 accordingto exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The ANDSF MO 500 canbe implemented by the mobile device 140, base station 120 and/or AP 150as described herein. The ANDSF MO can be stored in the memory 460 of themobile device 140, and accessed and executed by the CPU 450 toeffectuate the ISMP, ISRP, Discovery, crowdsourcing, and/or offloadingprocessing.

The ANDSF MO 500 provides an operational framework that includes variousrules/conditions and information organized into one or more “nodes,”where each node may have one or more “leaf objects.” The nodes areorganized into a hierarchy with one or more nodes having one or moredecedent nodes. It should also be appreciated that the one or more nodesmay not have any descendent nodes. The last node in a hierarchal branchcan include one or more leaf objects that define a rule and/or containinformation associated with a corresponding communication network. Forexample, the nodes and leaf objects define the various rules, discoveryinformation, and crowdsourcing information that are used by the mobiledevice 140 in governing the ISMP, ISRP, Discovery, and crowdsourcingprocessing by the mobile device 140.

In an exemplary embodiment, the ANDSF MO 500 includes one or more nodesand/or leaf objects having portions of which that are defined in the3GPP TS 24.312 specification. For example, the ANDSF MO 500 includesUE_Location 502, which includes the following decedent nodes:3GPP_Location 504, 3GPP2_Location 506, WiMAX_Location 508, WLAN_Location510, and Geo_Location 512 that are previously defined in the 3GPP TS24.312 specification. Other nodes and leaf object, including the contextnode 514 and leaf objects 530 to 572, are not currently defined in the3GPP specification and are added herein according to exemplaryembodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, ANDSF MO 500 describedherein can be considered an extension of ANDSF MO that currentlyprovided by the 3GPP TS 24.312 specification. The context node 514 andthe leaf objects descending therefrom define per-device crowdsourcingand/or inter-system offloading parameters. That is, the context node 514and the leaf objects descending therefrom define device specificparameters that can be used for crowdsourcing and/or offloadingpurposes. The leaf objects 530 to 572 define per-network crowdsourcingand/or inter-system offloading parameters. That is, the leaf objects 530to 572 define network specific parameters that can be used forcrowdsourcing and/or offloading purposes.

The UE_Location 502 is a placeholder for describing the current locationof the mobile device 140. The UE_Location 502 can include one or moredecedent nodes, including (but not limited to): 3GPP_Location 504,3GPP2_Location 506, WiMAX_Location 508, WLAN_Location 510, andGeo_Location 512.

The 3GPP_Location 504 is a placeholder for 3GPP location descriptions,and can include one or more leaf objects that indicate 3GPP networklocation information for the mobile device 140. The 3GPP networklocation information can include, for example, a public land mobilenetwork (PLMN) code, a Tracking Area Code (TAC), a Location Area Code(LAC), a GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAM) Cell Identity (GERAM_CI),a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) Cell Identity(UTRAN_CI), a Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) CellIdentity (EUTRA_CI), and any other well-known 3GPP network locationinformation as would be understood by those skilled in the relevantarts.

The 3GPP2_Location 506 is a placeholder for 3GPP2 location descriptions,and can include one or more decedent nodes, including, for example, a 1×node that is a placeholder for 3GPP2 1× Radio Access Technologies (RAT)location information and a High Rate Packet Data (HRPD) node that is aplaceholder for 3GPP2 HRPD RAT location information. The 1× node andHRPD node can each have one or more leaf objects that indicate 3GPP2network location information to the mobile device 140. The 3GPP2 networklocation information can include, for example, a System Identificationcode (SID), a Network Identification code (NID), a Base StationIdentification code (Base_ID), a Sector Identification code (Sector_ID),a Netmask code (Netmask), and any other well-known 3GPP2 networklocation information as would be understood by those skilled in therelevant arts.

The WiMAX_Location 508 is a placeholder for WiMAX (WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access) location descriptions, and caninclude one or more leaf objects that indicate WiMAX network locationinformation to the mobile device 140. The WiMAX network locationinformation can include, for example, a Network Access Provideridentification (NAP-ID), a BS Identifier (BS-ID), and any otherwell-known WiMAX network location information as would be understood bythose skilled in the relevant arts.

The Geo_Location 512 is a placeholder for geographical locationdescriptions for locations of one or more access networks, and caninclude one or more leaf objects that indicate geographical locationinformation. The geographical location information can include, forexample, AnchorLongitude, AnchorLatitude, and/or any other well-knowngeographical location information as would be understood by thoseskilled in the relevant arts.

The WLAN_Location 510 is a placeholder for WLAN location descriptions,and can include one or more leaf objects that indicate WLAN locationinformation. The WLAN location information can include (but is notlimited to) a HESSID (homogenous extended service set identifier), aBSSID (basic service set identifier), and a SSID (service setidentifier), to provide some examples. The HESSID is a media accesscontrol (MAC) address that is the same on all access points belonging toa particular network. Similarly, the BSSID and SSID are identifiers usedto identify the basic service set (e.g., an access point and one or morestations). For example, BSSID uniquely identifies the basic service set(BSS) and is a MAC address of the wireless access point generated bycombining the 24 bit Organization Unique Identifier (e.g., themanufacturer's identity) and the manufacturer's assigned 24-bitidentifier for the radio chipset in the access point. The SSID is 1 to32 byte string and is typically a human-readable string commonly calledthe “network name.” The HESSID, BSSID and SSID are further defined inthe IEEE 802.11 standard, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

In operation, the mobile device 140 is configured to gather networkinformation of the one or more available communication networks withinthe communication environment 100 and/or to determine contextualinformation (e.g., time, location, movement, etc.) associated with themobile device 140, as well as to provide the information to the serviceprovider(s). The provided information can be utilized by the serviceproviders to determine the location of the mobile device 140 and providethe mobile device 140 with one or more relevant operational frameworks(e.g., ANDSF framework) for the determined location. The providedinformation may also be used by the service providers to generatenetwork coverage maps for one or more communication networks within thecommunication environment 100 and/or increase the accuracy of one ormore previously generated network coverage maps. Further, the providedinformation can be used to generate one or more inter-system offloadingpolicies defined in the operational framework and/or improve the qualityof one or more previously generated inter-system offloading policies.

In an exemplary embodiment, in addition to 3GPP_Location 504,3GPP2_Location 506, WiMAX_Location 508, WLAN_Location 510, andGeo_Location 512, the ANDSF MO 500 also includes a context node 514including contextual information for movement and device identificationthat is not currently defined in 3GPP TS specification. The context node514 can include one or more leaf objects defining information and/orvalidity conditions associated with, for example, the movement of themobile device 140, and model and/or type identification of the mobiledevice 140. Accordingly, the context node 514 can include (but is notlimited to) one or more of the following leaf objects: Device_Movement570 and/or Device_Model 572.

The Device_Movement leaf 570 defines information and/or validityconditions associated with the movement of the mobile device 140,including for example, velocity and/or acceleration of the mobile device140. The mobile device 140 can be configured to estimate its movementusing: one or more sensors 470 implemented in (and/or in communicationwith) the mobile device 140, one or more positional determinations usingsignal characteristics relative to one or more base stations and/oraccess points, and/or any other well-known geo-location techniques aswould be understood by the those skilled in the relevant art(s). The oneor more sensors 470 can include (but is not limited to) GPS sensors,accelerometers, gyroscopes, and/or any other well-known positionaland/or movement sensor as would be understood by those skilled in therelevant art(s).

The Device_Movement leaf 570 can also define one or more movement statesof the mobile device 140. For example, the movement states can include:stationary, pedestrian (e.g., PA3 or PB3), vehicular (e.g., VA30),high-speed rail, aviation, or any other movement states defined by 3GPP,or as would understood by those skilled in the relevant art(s). Thepedestrian states PA3 and PB3 refer to the Pedestrian-A (3 km/h) andPedestrian-B (3 km/h) movement states, respectively, as defined by 3GPP.Similarly, the vehicular state VA30 refers to the Vehicular-A (30 km/h)movement state as defined by 3GPP. Although defined by 3GPP, thesesmovement states have not previously been implemented in the ANDSF MOcurrently provided by the 3GPP TS 24.312 specification. Based on theestimated velocity of the mobile device 140, the mobile device 140 canbe categorized into one or more of the movement states discussed herein.

The Device_Model leaf 572 defines information and/or validity conditionsassociated with the model, type and/or manufacturer of the mobile device140. In operation, the various mobile devices within the communicationenvironment 100 can, for example, have different manufactures and/or bedifferent mobile device models. The differing models may include varyingtypes of radio transceivers and/or radio transceivers having varyingoperating characteristics. For example, a first model may have highergain WLAN and LTE antennas when compared to a second model. Here, thevarying gain values of the antennas can be accounted for by the serviceprovider in determining, for example, the appropriate operationalframework and/or in generating one or more network coverage maps of thecommunication environment 100. Further, antenna gain can affect thehandover decision because higher antenna gain (or more generally,receiver gain) can compensate for lower signal strength.

In an exemplary embodiment, in addition to 3GPP_Location 504,3GPP2_Location 506, WiMAX_Location 508, WLAN_Location 510, andGeo_Location 512, the ANDSF MO 500 also includes one or more leafobjects 530 to 572 that are not currently defined in 3GPP TSspecification. The one or more leaf objects 530 to 572 can be referredherein as crowdsourcing leaf objects. Further, the crowdsourcing leafobjects are not limited to the leaf objects 530 to 572 and can includeone or more leaf objects as would be understood by those skilled in therelevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

The leaf objects 530 to 572 can be defined in the ANDSF MO 500 asdescendants of one or more of the included nodes (e.g., 3GPP_Location504, 3GPP2_Location 506, WiMAX_Location 508, WLAN_Location 510, andGeo_Location 512), as descendants of the contextual node 514, asdescendants of one or more other nodes defined by 3GPP, and/or asdescendants of one or more other nodes as would be understood by thoseskilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure. In the exemplary embodiments describedherein, the crowdsourcing leaf objects (e.g., leaf objects 530 to 572)are descendent leaf objects of the WLAN_Location node 510. However, thecrowdsourcing leaf objects can be descendent leaf objects of one or moreof the other nodes described herein and/or one or more other nodes aswould be understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s). Forexample, the crowdsourcing leaf objects can be descendent leaf objectsof the WiMAX_Location node 508 in addition to, or in the alternative, tothe WLAN_Location node 510.

The crowdsourcing leaf objects can include (but are not limited to) oneor more of the following leaf objects:

-   -   SignalToInterferencePlusNoiseRatio (SINR) leaf 530,    -   ReceiverSignalStrength (RSSI) leaf 532,    -   VisibilityDuration leaf 534,    -   SupportedDataRates leaf 536,    -   Channels leaf 538,    -   Capabilities leaf 540,    -   UnutilizedRate leaf 542    -   BSSLoadInformation leaf 550,    -   SubsctiptionServiceProviderNetwork (SSPN) leaf 552.    -   AccessNetworkType leaf 554,    -   VenueInformation leaf 556,    -   ConnectionCapability leaf 558,    -   WMMMapping leaf 560,    -   ConnectedDataRate leaf 562, and/or    -   ConnectionStatistics leaf 564

The SINR leaf 530 and RSSI leaf 532 define signal strength and qualityinformation of one or more other prospective communication networks(e.g., WLAN network of the AP 150). The SINR leaf 530 and the RSSI leaf532 define signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) and receivedsignal strength indication (RSSI) thresholds (dB), respectively, for awireless connection between the mobile device 140 and the other(prospective) communication network(s).

The SINR leaf 530 and RSSI leaf 532 can also define validity conditionsassociated with the signal strength and quality information of the othercommunication network(s). The SINR leaf 530 and RSSI leaf 532 can alsodefine threshold levels determined by the service provider and can beconsidered active if the SINR and/or the RSSI of the connection areabove the threshold levels. Here, the SINR leaf 530 and RSSI leaf 532collectively serve as a secondary threshold for the wireless connection.That is, the mobile device 140 may have a minimum RSSI and/or SINRthreshold value (i.e., a “connection threshold”) used for determining ifa wireless connection can be established, according to the devicehardware specifications. The thresholds defined in the SINR leaf 530 andRSSI leaf 532 can then serve as threshold values that exceed the minimum(device) threshold and thereby ensure a higher quality connection thanone that may be formed if only the connection threshold is satisfied. Byusing the SINR leaf 530 and RSSI leaf 532 as validity conditions, theSINR leaf 530 and RSSI leaf 532 can be utilized in one or moreinter-system offloading policies.

The VisibilityDuration leaf 534 defines visibility information for oneor more other communication networks (e.g., WLAN network of the AP 150).In particular, the VisibilityDuration leaf 534 defines one or morerespective time durations in which the one or more other communicationnetworks have been visible to the mobile device 140 and/or one or moreother mobile devices. The visibility duration can include the currentduration in which one or more other communication networks has beenvisible to the mobile device 140, one or more previous durations inwhich the one or more other communication networks has been visible tothe mobile device 140, or a combination of both. Herein, “visibility”refers to observing or receiving signal strengths that are above apre-determined threshold (e.g., received signal strength indication(RSSI) threshold), so a connection could be made if desired. TheVisibilityDuration leaf 534 can also define one or more time durationsin which the mobile device 140 and/or one or more other mobile deviceshave previously remained connected to the one or more othercommunication networks.

The service provider and/or the mobile device 140 can be configured toestimate the stability of the connection using the visibility durationsand/or the durations of one or more previously established connectionsto the other communication network. For example, multiple, shortvisibility and/or connection durations of the one or more communicationnetworks by the mobile device 140 (or other mobile devices) may evidencea wireless connection that repeatedly becomes available and unavailabledue to an access point that is subject to, for example, shadowing, slowfading, or any other condition resulting in instability in theconnection. Alternatively, short visibility or connection durations maybe evidence that the mobile device 140 previously encountered the othercommunication networks while the mobile device 140 is moving through thecommunication network at such a speed that communication network remainsvisible for only short durations.

In an exemplary embodiment, the mobile device 140 can be configured toestimate the stability of the connection utilizing a Poisson probabilitydistribution with a fixed but unknown lambda. Here, the longervisibility and/or connection durations result in a lower estimatedlambda, which results in a longer expected duration until the nextdisconnection. A longer expected duration may evidence a more stableconnection.

The SupportedDataRates leaf 536 defines data rate and/or technologyinformation for one or more other prospective communication networks(e.g., WLAN network of the AP 150). In particular, theSupportedDataRates leaf 536 defines data rates and/or technologies(e.g., IEEE 802.11n, 802.11g, or the like) supported by thecommunication network(s). For example, the supported data rates caninclude, for example, a maximum data rate as defined by the serviceprovider, a maximum or expected data rate as defined by a supportedtechnology, maximum or expected data rates as defined by the accesspoint, or any other data rate as would be understood by one of ordinaryskill in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present disclosure.

The SupportedDataRates leaf 536 can also define validity conditionsassociated with the data rates and/or technologies supported by the oneor more other prospective communication network(s). For example, theSupportedDataRates leaf 536 can also define data rate threshold levelsdetermined by the service provider and/or the access point and can beconsidered active if the data rate of the connection with access pointis above the data rate threshold levels. By using the SupportedDataRatesleaf 536 as validity conditions, the SupportedDataRates leaf 536 can beutilized in one or more inter-system offloading policies.

The Channels leaf 538 defines one or more operating channels for one ormore other prospective communication networks (e.g., WLAN network of theAP 150). The operating channels can include the current operatingchannels utilized by one or more active connections to the communicationnetwork and/or the channels supported by the communication network.

The Capabilities leaf 540 defines one or more capabilities supported byone or more other prospective communication networks (e.g., WLAN networkof the AP 150). The capabilities can include, for example, encryptionprotocols, power saving mode(s), extended service set (ESS) support,managed (infrastructure)/ad hoc support, or any other capability aswould be understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s)without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

The UnutilizedRate leaf 542 defines information and/or validityconditions associated with data rate information and/or channelutilization information of the other prospective communication network(e.g., WLAN network of the AP 150). Here, a “data rate validitycondition” can be used to refer to the data rate information, thechannel utilization information, or a combination of both. Inparticular, the UnutilizedRate leaf 542 defines an estimated data rateavailable to the mobile device 140 on, for example, the WLAN network ofthe AP 150, and an estimated WLAN channel utilization on the network.The data rate can include the estimated maximum bit rate (MBR) and/orguaranteed bit rate (GBR).

The AP 150 can be configured to estimate the data rate on the WLANnetwork (i.e., via the wireless medium) and the channel utilizationusing any well-known date rate and/or channel utilization estimationprocesses that would be understood by those skilled in the relevantart(s), including, for example, estimations based on the “average cycletime” approach discussed in “Throughput Analysis of IEEE 802.11 WirelessLANs using Average Cycle Time Approach,” K. Medepalli and F. A. Tobagi,Proceedings of IEEE Globecom 2005, and discussed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/149,390, filed Jan. 7, 2014, entitled “MobileDevice With Cellular-WLAN Offload Using Passive Load Sensing Of WLAN,”each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In operation, the AP 150 can, for example, analyze the current GBRand/or MBR for ongoing services of the AP 150. Here, the ongoingservices of the AP 150 refer to one or more active connections of othermobile devices to the AP 150 and the respective data rates of theseconnections. The AP 150 can then compare the value(s) for ongoingservices with an estimation of GBR and/or MBR of the AP 150 thatincludes a prospective connection of the mobile device 140 to determineif the AP 150 can provide reliable offloading to the mobile device 140.For example, the AP 150 can determine that the AP 150 can providereliable offloading when the estimated GBR is equal to or greater thanthe total GBR for ongoing services (e.g., ongoing GBR bearers), and theestimated MBR is equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage ofthe total MBR for ongoing services (e.g., ongoing MBR bearers).

That is, in an exemplary embodiment, the AP 150 can determine that theAP 150 can provide reliable offloading if, for example, the followingequations are satisfied:GBR_(estimate)≧GBR_(ongoing)MBR_(estimate)≧MBR_(ongoing)×βWhere GBR_(estimate) is the estimated GBR, GBR_(ongoing) is the totalGBR for ongoing services, MBR_(estimate) is the estimated MBR,MBR_(ongoing) is the total MBR for ongoing services, and β is apredetermine value such that 0<β≦1.

In an exemplary embodiment, the AP 150 can be provided with bandwidthinformation for the backhaul connection supporting the AP 150. Thebackhaul bandwidth information can be provided from, for example, theservice provider supporting the AP 150. Here, the UnutilizedRate leaf542 can then include the backhaul bandwidth information so that anoverall bandwidth estimation can be calculated using the backhaul andwireless medium estimations.

In exemplary embodiments, the AP 150 is configured to be Hotspot 2.0compliant, as defined in the IEEE 802.11u standard. In theseembodiments, the ANDSF MO 500 can include the following leaf objects:BSSLoadInformation leaf 550, SubscriptionServiceProviderNetwork (SSPN)leaf 552, AccessNetworkType leaf 554, VenueInformation leaf 556.ConnectionCapability leaf 558, WMMMapping leaf 560, ConnectedDataRateleaf 562, and/or ConnectionStatistics leaf 564. Leaf objects 550 to 564can collectively be referred to as Hotspot 2.0 leaf objects 566. It willbe appreciated and understood by those skilled in the relevant arts thatthe Hotspot 2.0 leaf objects 566 are not limited to embodimentsutilizing a Hotspot 2.0 compliant access point, and that the Hotspot 2.0leaf objects 566 can be implemented in non-Hotspot 2.0 compliant accesspoints without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure.

The BSSLoadInformation leaf 550 defines basic service set (BSS) loadinformation and/or WLAN Metrics Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP)information for one or more other communication networks (e.g., WLANnetwork of the AP 150). The BSS load information can include currentmobile device population utilizing the communication network and thechannel utilization of the prospective communication network. The WLANMetrics ANQP information can include information regarding the wide areanetwork (WAN) link of the WLAN access network. That is, the WLAN MetricsANQP information includes information regarding the backbone networksupporting the wireless access point.

The SubscriptionServiceProviderNetwork (SSPN) leaf 552 definesidentification information for one or more other prospectivecommunication networks (e.g., WLAN network of the AP 150). That is, theSSPN leaf 552 indicates the service provider in which the access pointis associated with.

The AccessNetworkType leaf 554 defines the WLAN network type for one ormore other prospective communication networks (e.g., WLAN network of theAP 150). The WLAN network type can include, for example, a publicnetwork, a free network, a personal network, an emergency network, agovernment network, or the like. That is, the AccessNetworkType leaf 554indicates which type of network is provided by the access point.

The VenueInformation leaf 556 defines venue information for one or moreother prospective communication networks (e.g., WLAN network of the AP150). The venue information can include, for example, a residence, acommercial space (e.g., business), a hospital, a hotel, a school, amunicipal space, or the like. That is, the VenueInformation leaf 556indicates the venue in which the network is deployed. For example, forvenue information indicating that the network is deployed in a municipalspace or school, the venue information may indicate that thecommunication network may possibly be an extended communication network(e.g., Municipal wireless networks, campus-wide networks, or the like)that offers continuous coverage over multiple access points.

The ConnectionCapability leaf 558 defines connection information for oneor more other prospective communication networks (e.g., WLAN network ofthe AP 150). The connection information can define, for example, one ormore IP protocols and/or ports that are used by the communicationnetworks. That is, the ConnectionCapability leaf 558 can indicate the IPprotocols and/or ports that are allowed on the communication network.

The WMMMapping leaf 560 defines information and/or validity conditionsassociated with quality of service (QoS) information of the othercommunication network (e.g., WLAN network of the AP 150). In particular,the WMMMapping leaf 560 defines WLAN multimedia (WMM) mapping toprovide, for example, packet priority information, packet error lossrate information and/or packet delay budget information. In an exemplaryembodiment, the WMM mapping (and the various provided information) issimilar to the QoS Class Identifier (QCI) mapping defined in the 3GPPspecification. Using the information defined in the WMMMapping leaf 560,the mobile device 140 can determine whether the WLAN network willprovide the same or better QoS as the LTE network, which typicallyprovides low latency for Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) traffic(e.g., voice and/or video traffic).

The ConnectedDataRate leaf 562 defines data rate information for one ormore communication networks. The data rate information can include, forexample, the data rate for one or more wireless networks that the mobiledevice 140 is currently connected to. The date rate information can beused by the service provider in determining the quality of the connectedcommunication networks, which can be used in, for example, generatingcoverage maps at the location of the mobile device 140.

The ConnectionStatistics leaf 564 defines statistical information forone or more communication networks. The statistics can include, forexample, a transmit loss (e.g., retry) rate, a receive loss (e.g., loss)rate, a beacon miss rate, and/or any other connection statistic as wouldbe understood by those skilled in the relevant art(s) for one or morecommunication networks the mobile device 140 is connected to. Similar tothe data rate information defined in the ConnectedDataRate leaf 562, thestatistics can be used by the service provider in determining thequality of the connected communication networks, which can be used in,for example, generating coverage maps at the location of the mobiledevice 140.

In an exemplary embodiment, the mobile device 140 is configured togather the network information of the one or more availablecommunication networks within the communication environment 100 and/orthe contextual information (e.g., time, location, movement, etc.)associated with the mobile device 140. That is, the mobile device 140can be configured to crowdsource information from one or morecommunication networks and/or gather contextual information of themobile device 140. The crowdsourced and/or gathered information can beprovided to the service provided via one or more 3GPP and/or non-3GPPaccess networks.

In operation, the mobile device 140 can be configured to gather (e.g.,crowdsource) network information of one or more available communicationnetworks within the communication environment 100 and/or to determinecontextual information associated with the mobile device 140 based onone or more parameters and/or validity conditions defined in anoperational framework. In an exemplary embodiment, the operationalframework conforms to the Access Network Discovery and SelectionFunction (ANDSF) framework.

For example, the mobile device 140 can be configured to gather andprovide (e.g., crowdsource) network information, including, for example,signal strength and/or interference measurements (e.g., SINR leaf 530,RSSI leaf 532), network visibility information (e.g., VisibilityDurationleaf 534), supported and/or current data rates of the network(s) (e.g.,SupportedDataRates leaf 536, UnutilizedRate leaf 542, ConnectedDataRateleaf 562), quality of service (QoS) information of the network(s) (e.g.,WMMMapping leaf 560), network identification information and/or networktype (e.g., SSPN leaf 552, AccessNetworkType leaf 554, VenueInformationleaf 556), and/or any other network parameter and/or validity conditionas would be understood by those skilled in the relevant art(s). Further,the mobile device 140 can be configured to determine contextualinformation associated with the mobile device 140, including, forexample, the time as reported by the operating system of the mobiledevice 140, the location of the mobile device 140, the movement of themobile device 140, the model and/or type of the mobile device 140,information regarding the capabilities of the mobile device 140,information regarding one or more components implemented in the mobiledevice 140, power management information (e.g., remaining battery power,charging status, etc.) of the mobile device 140, and/or any otherenvironmental information associated with the mobile device 140 as willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s) withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

The mobile device 140 can also be configured to provide the networkinformation and/or the contextual information to the service providervia one or more 3GPP and/or non-3GPP access networks. The serviceprovider can be configured to determine and/or analyze the qualityand/or availability/coverage of the communications networks based on theprovided network and/or contextual information. Here, the quality and/oravailability/coverage of the communications networks at the location ofthe mobile device 140 can be referred to as “network characteristics” ofthe communication networks.

Further, the service provider can be configured to generate networkcoverage maps and/or improve previously generated network coverage mapsbased on the provided network and/or contextual information, and/or onthe quality and/or coverage information determined from the providednetwork and/or contextual information. Moreover, the mobile device 140can be configured to perform inter-system offloading to one or moreother communication networks based on the crowdsourced networkinformation and/or contextual information of the mobile device 140.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart 600 of a crowdsourcing method inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Themethod of flowchart 600 is described with continued reference to FIGS.1-5. The steps of the method of flowchart 600 are not limited to theorder described below, and the various steps may be performed in adifferent order. Further, two or more steps of the method of flowchart600 may be performed simultaneously with each other.

The method of flowchart 600 begins at step 610 and transitions to step620, where the mobile device 140 determines the position of the mobiledevice 140. In an exemplary embodiment, the mobile device 140 isconfigured to determine the position of the mobile device 140 using oneor more positional and/or movement sensors 470 (e.g., GPS,accelerometer, gyroscope sensor, etc.) implemented in (and/or incommunication with) the mobile device 140, and/or using one or morepositional determinations using signal characteristics relative to oneor more base stations and/or access points.

After step 620, the flowchart 600 transitions to step 630, where themobile device 140 receives an operational framework from the serviceprovider associated with the mobile device 140. In exemplary embodiment,the operational framework provided to the mobile device 140 isdetermined based on the determined position of the mobile device 140.That is, the operational framework provided to the mobile device 140includes connection information for one or more communication networksthat may be visible to the mobile device 140 at the mobile device's 140current location in which the mobile device 140 may establish aconnection. Further, in an exemplary embodiment, the operationalframework is associated with the Access Network Discovery and SelectionFunction (ANDSF) framework.

After step 630, the flowchart 600 transitions to step 640, where themobile device 140 determines network information of one or more othercommunication networks (e.g., WLAN network of the AP 150). In anexemplary embodiment, the network information includes, for example,signal strength and/or interference measurements of the communicationnetwork, network visibility information, supported and/or current datarates of the network(s), quality of service (QoS) information of thenetwork(s), network identification information and/or network type,and/or any other network parameter and/or validity condition as would beunderstood by those skilled in the relevant art(s). The networkinformation which is to be determined can be defined by the operationalframework.

After step 640, the flowchart 600 transitions to step 650, where themobile device 140 determines contextual information associated with themobile device 140. In an exemplary embodiment, the contextualinformation includes, for example, the time as reported by the operatingsystem of the mobile device 140, the location of the mobile device 140,the movement of the mobile device 140, the model and/or type of themobile device 140, information regarding the capabilities of the mobiledevice 140, information regarding one or more components implemented inthe mobile device 140, power management information (e.g., remainingbattery power, charging status, etc.) of the mobile device 140, and/orany other environmental information associated with the mobile device140 as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevantart(s). The contextual information which is to be determined can bedefined by the operational framework.

After step 650, the flowchart 600 transitions to step 660, where themobile device 140 provides the determined network information andcontextual information to the service provider utilizing one or more3GPP access networks (e.g., LTE network) and/or non-3GPP access networks(e.g., WLAN network). The service provider can be configured todetermine network characteristics and/or network coverage maps based onthe received network and/or contextual information.

After step 660, the flowchart 600 transitions to step 670, where themobile device 140 performs inter-system offloading of communicationswith the current communication network to one or more othercommunication networks. In an exemplary embodiment, the offloading isbased on the determined network information and/or contextualinformation. For example, the mobile device 140 can determine whether tooffload communications to one or more other communication networks basedon the network information and/or contextual information, and/or on oneor more inter-system offloading policies generated by the serviceprovider based on the network information and/or contextual information.

After step 670, the flowchart 600 transitions to step 680, where theflowchart 600 ends. Here, the flowchart 600 may return to step 610 torepeat the crowdsourcing method.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart 700 of a crowdsourcing method inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Themethod of flowchart 700 is described with continued reference to FIGS.1-6. The steps of the method of flowchart 700 are not limited to theorder described below, and the various steps may be performed in adifferent order. Further, two or more steps of the method of flowchart700 may be performed simultaneously with each other.

The method of flowchart 700 begins at step 710 and transitions to step720, where the service provider provides an operational framework to themobile device 140 via one or more 3GPP access networks (e.g., LTEnetwork) and/or non-3GPP access networks (e.g., WLAN network). In anexemplary embodiment, the operational framework provided to the mobiledevice 140 is determined based on the position of the mobile device 140.Further, in an exemplary embodiment, the operational framework isassociated with the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function(ANDSF) framework.

After step 720, the flowchart 700 transitions to step 730, where theservice provider receives network information of one or more othercommunication networks (e.g., WLAN network of the AP 150) from themobile device 140. In an exemplary embodiment, the network informationincludes, for example, signal strength and/or interference measurementsof the communication network, network visibility information, supportedand/or current data rates of the network(s), quality of service (QoS)information of the network(s), network identification information and/ornetwork type, and/or any other network parameter and/or validitycondition as would be understood by those skilled in the relevantart(s). Further, the network information can be defined by theoperational framework.

After step 730, the flowchart 700 transitions to step 740, where theservice provider receives contextual information of the mobile device140 from the mobile device 140. In an exemplary embodiment, thecontextual information includes, for example, the time as reported bythe operating system of the mobile device 140, the location of themobile device 140, the movement of the mobile device 140, the modeland/or type of the mobile device 140, information regarding thecapabilities of the mobile device 140, information regarding one or morecomponents implemented in the mobile device 140, power managementinformation (e.g., remaining battery power, charging status, etc.) ofthe mobile device 140, and/or any other environmental informationassociated with the mobile device 140 as will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the relevant art(s). The contextual information can bedefined by the operational framework.

After step 740, the flowchart 700 transitions to step 750, where theservice provider determines network characteristics of the othercommunication network. In an exemplary embodiment, the networkcharacteristics are determined based on the received network informationand/or the received contextual information. Here, the networkcharacteristics define the availability and/or the quality/coverage ofthe communication network(s) at the location of the mobile device 140.

After step 750, the flowchart 700 transitions to step 760, where theservice provider generates one or more network coverage maps and/orimproves one or more previously generated network coverage maps. In anexemplary embodiment, the generation and/or improvement of the networkcoverage maps is based on the network characteristics, and/or on thenetwork information and/or contextual information.

After step 760, the flowchart 700 transitions to step 770, where theflowchart 700 ends. Here, the flowchart 700 may return to step 710 torepeat the crowdsourcing method.

CONCLUSION

The aforementioned description of the specific embodiments will so fullyreveal the general nature of the disclosure that others can, by applyingknowledge within the skill of the art, readily modify and/or adapt forvarious applications such specific embodiments, without undueexperimentation, without departing from the general concept of thepresent disclosure. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications areintended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of thedisclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presentedherein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminologyherein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, suchthat the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is tobe interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings andguidance.

References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,”“an exemplary embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment describedmay include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, butevery embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of oneskilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitlydescribed.

The exemplary embodiments described herein are provided for illustrativepurposes, and are not limiting. Other exemplary embodiments arepossible, and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodimentswithin the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, thespecification is not meant to limit the invention. Rather, the scope ofthe disclosure is defined only in accordance with the following claimsand their equivalents.

Embodiments may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuits), firmware,software, or any combination thereof. Embodiments may also beimplemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, whichmay be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readablemedium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting informationin a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing device). For example,a machine-readable medium may include read only memory (ROM); randomaccess memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media;flash memory devices; electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms ofpropagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digitalsignals, etc.), and others. Further, firmware, software, routines,instructions may be described herein as performing certain actions.However, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely forconvenience and that such actions in fact results from computingdevices, processors, controllers, or other devices executing thefirmware, software, routines, instructions, etc. Further, any of theimplementation variations may be carried out by a general purposecomputer.

It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and notthe Summary and Abstract sections, is intended to be used to interpretthe claims. The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or morebut not all exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure ascontemplated by the inventors, and thus, are not intended to limit thepresent disclosure and the appended claims in any way.

The present disclosure has been described above with the aid offunctional building blocks illustrating the implementation of specifiedfunctions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functionalbuilding blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenienceof the description. Alternate boundaries may be defined so long as thespecified functions and relationships thereof are appropriatelyperformed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication device, comprising: a firsttransceiver configured to communicate with a first communicationnetwork; a second transceiver configured to communicate with a secondcommunication network; and a controller configured to: receive anoperational framework via the first communication network; determinenetwork information corresponding to the second communication network;determine contextual information corresponding to the communicationdevice; provide the network information and the contextual informationto a service provider of the communication device; and determine whetherto offload a communication from the first communication network to thesecond communication network based on information received from theservice provider that is generated based on the network information andthe contextual information, wherein the network information and thecontextual information are determined based on a plurality of parametersdefined in the operational framework.
 2. The communication device ofclaim 1, wherein the operational framework is associated with an AccessNetwork Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) framework.
 3. Thecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parametersinclude a device parameter associated with the communication device anda network parameter associated with the second communication network. 4.The communication device of claim 1, wherein a parameter of theplurality of parameters associated with the contextual informationincludes movement information of the communication device or modelinformation of the communication device.
 5. The communication device ofclaim 1, wherein a parameter of the plurality of parameters associatedwith the network information includes a received signal strengthindication (RSSI) value or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio(SINR) value for the second communication network.
 6. The communicationdevice of claim 1, wherein a parameter of the plurality of parametersassociated with the network information defines a time duration in whichthe second communication network is visible to the communication deviceor a time duration in which the second communication network haspreviously been visible to the communication device.
 7. Thecommunication device of claim 1, wherein a parameter of the plurality ofparameters associated with the network information defines a data rateof the second communication network or a channel utilization of thesecond communication network.
 8. The communication device of claim 1,wherein a parameter of the plurality of parameters associated with thenetwork information includes quality of service (QoS) information of thesecond communication network.
 9. The communication device of claim 1,wherein a parameter of the plurality of parameters associated with thenetwork information includes identification information that identifiesa service provider of the second communication network, an access typeof the second communication network, or a venue in which the secondcommunication network is deployed.
 10. The communication device of claim1, wherein the first communication network is a 3rd GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP) communication network and the secondcommunication network is a non-3GPP communication network.
 11. Thecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the information received fromthe service provider includes an offloading policy generated based onthe network information and the contextual information provided by thecommunication device.
 12. A method for communicating by a communicationdevice, the method comprising: receiving an operational framework via afirst communication network, the operational framework defining aplurality of parameters; determining network information correspondingto a second communication network; determining contextual informationcorresponding to the communication device, wherein the networkinformation and the contextual information are determined based on theplurality of parameters; providing the network information and thecontextual information to a service provider of the communicationdevice; and determining whether to offload a communication from thefirst communication network to the second communication network based oninformation received from the service provider that is generated basedon the network information and the contextual information.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising: determining a position of thecommunication device, wherein the operational framework is determinedbased on the determined position of the communication device.
 14. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the operational framework is associated withan Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) framework.15. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of parameters includea device parameter associated with the communication device and anetwork parameter associated with the second communication network. 16.The method of claim 12, wherein the information received from theservice provider includes an offloading policy generated based on thenetwork information and the contextual information provided by thecommunication device.
 17. A method for communicating with acommunication device, the method comprising: providing an operationalframework to the communication device via a first communication network,the operational framework defining a plurality of parameters; receivingnetwork information corresponding to a second communication network fromthe communication device; receiving contextual information correspondingto the communication device from the communication device, wherein thenetwork information and the contextual information are associated withthe operational framework; and generating a network coverage map basedon the received network information and the received contextualinformation.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the network coveragemap defines a quality and a coverage of the second communicationnetwork.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of parametersinclude a device parameter associated with the communication device anda network parameter associated with the second communication network.20. The method of claim 17, wherein the operational framework isassociated with an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function(ANDSF) framework.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein the firstcommunication network is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)communication network and the second communication network is a non-3GPPcommunication network.